Law Studies Major
Introduction
Please click here to see Law Studies department information.
The interdisciplinary major in Law Studies provides students with a fundamental knowledge of law and the U.S. legal system and the professional and scholarly skills needed for law school and many law-related careers. The curriculum engages a variety of critical, historical, philosophical, sociological, and other humanistic approaches, to introduce students to the major areas of law that affect life in the United States, highlighting important legal issues that influence current social, political, and economic events. Besides preparing students for legal careers in the local community, the major enables students to become familiar and fluent with a legal vocabulary and legal reasoning to be engaged and critical citizens in our constitutional republic as industry leaders or civil rights/community activists.
The Law Studies major is a pathway to graduate programs in Law (JD), Master of Legal studies (MSL), or Master of Social Science (MSS). The MSL degree is a graduate degree for people who want to study law but who do not desire to be practicing lawyers. The MSL is less expensive and easier to enroll (and involves a shorter time-commitment) and is intended to train professionals in a wide range of industries that must engage with legal questions as they navigate regulatory requirements while managing legal risk in the course of their business. The CU Denver Bachelor of Arts in Law Studies does not train students to be paralegals, but it does allow students with paralegal training to benefit from recent changes in Colorado Law (see Colo. R. Civ. P. 207.1) which allows such students to become Licensed legal paraprofessionals (LLPs) upon completion of a 4-year bachelor’s degree in law.
There are two paths to this major: the first is a traditional structure which is well suited for students who know earlier in their career path that this is the major for them or who have fewer transfer credits. The second is the cluster-based major which is well suited for students who are interested in bringing in a number of transfer credits, and in approaching the major based on clusters which can also earn certificates as they move through the major.
Program Delivery
- This is an on-campus program.
Declaring This Major
- Click here to go to information about declaring a major.
- Students may choose only one of the two options (the Traditional Path or the Cluster Based Path)
Program Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 39 credit hours, including 27 upper-division (3000-level and above) credit hours, taken from the approved courses below.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all courses that apply to the major taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to major requirements.
- Students must complete a minimum of 15 upper division (3000-level and above) credit hours with CU Denver faculty.
- Students must complete one of the two paths outlined below (Traditional or Cluster-based).
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
- There are two paths to this major (each requiring a minimum of 39 credits): the first is a traditional structure which is well suited for students who know earlier in their career path that this is the major for them or who have fewer transfer credits. The second is the cluster-based major which is well suited for students who are interested in bringing in a number of transfer credits, and in approaching the major based on clusters.
- For the cluster-based path, students must complete the required Legal Core courses (12 credits) AND two additional clusters of 12 credits each, as well as an exit course (capstone, internship or senior thesis).
- Completion of a cluster may result in a corresponding certificate if all certificate requirements are satisfied.
- With prior approval from the Law Studies director or program designee, up to 6 credits of independent study or internship from any department may be applied to law studies elective courses in the traditional path or to cluster courses in the cluster path. Substitutions to cluster courses can be made with approval of the Law Studies director or program designee.
- A maximum of 12 credits of independent study and/or internship approved by the Law Studies director (or designated advisor) may be applied to the major overall.
- For the cluster-based path, courses may apply only in a single cluster.
- For the cluster-based path, not all the courses within each cluster can be from one department.
- Students cannot both major and minor in Law Studies.
Traditional Path
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following required Legal Core courses: | 12 | |
| Introduction to Legal Studies | ||
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Legal Advocacy/Engagement | ||
| Complete two of the following Professional Skills courses: | 6 | |
| Negotiations and Bargaining | ||
| Mediation | ||
| Legal Reasoning and Writing | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Argumentation and Logic | ||
| Proposal and Grant Writing | ||
| Complete a minimum of five of the following Law Studies elective courses: | 15 | |
| Famous U.S. Trials | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Law and Economics | ||
| Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | ||
| First Amendment: Theory and Context | ||
| Why Obey the Law? Introduction to Philosophy of Law | ||
| Judicial Politics | ||
| Women and the Law | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Civil Liberties | ||
| Psychology and the Law | ||
| Sociology of Law | ||
| Courts & Society | ||
| Law, Diversity and Community in United States History 1 | ||
| Complete an exit course approved by the program director from either 1) a capstone course, 2) an internship, 3) an independent study, or 4) a senior thesis | 3 | |
| Complete an additional exit course approved by the program director from either 1) a capstone course, 2) an internship, 3) an independent study, or 4) a senior thesis or an additional elective from the Law Studies elective list above | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
- 1
This course is reserved for advanced undergraduate students with permission from the instructor
Cluster Based Path
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following required Legal Core courses: | 12 | |
| Introduction to Legal Studies | ||
| Constitutional Law I | ||
| Constitutional Law II | ||
| Legal Advocacy/Engagement | ||
| Complete two additional clusters with 12 credits each from the following cluster lists: 1 | 24 | |
| Legal Communication and Writing | ||
| Professional Skills | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Criminology, Law, and Deviance | ||
| Law, Ethics, and Policy | ||
| Social Justice, Activism, and Law | ||
| Complete an exit course as approved by program director: Either 1) a capstone course, 2) an internship, 3) an independent study, or 4) a senior thesis | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
- 1
With prior approval from the Law Studies director or program designee, up to 6 credits of independent study or internship from any department may be applied to law studies elective courses in the traditional path or to cluster courses in the cluster path. Substitutions to cluster courses can be made with approval of the Law Studies director or program designee.
Legal Communication & Writing Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 4255 | Negotiations and Bargaining | 3 |
| COMM 4260 | Communication and Conflict | 3 |
| COMM 4262 | Mediation | 3 |
| COMM 4681 | Communication Issues in Trial Court Practices and Processes | 3 |
| COMM/ENGL 4750/PSCI 4757 | Legal Reasoning and Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 2070 | Grammar, Rhetoric and Style | 3 |
| ENGL 4180 | Argumentation and Logic | 3 |
Professional Skills Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 4255 | Negotiations and Bargaining | 3 |
| COMM 4262 | Mediation | 3 |
| COMM/ENGL 4750/PSCI 4757 | Legal Reasoning and Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3154 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3170 | Business Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 4180 | Argumentation and Logic | 3 |
| ENGL 4280 | Proposal and Grant Writing | 3 |
| PHIL 2441 | Logic, Language and Scientific Reasoning | 3 |
Law & Society Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM/HIST 3231 | Famous U.S. Trials | 3 |
| CRJU 4430 | Law and Society | 3 |
| ECON 4230 | Law and Economics | 3 |
| HIST 4308 | Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | 3 |
| HUMN 4325 | First Amendment: Theory and Context | 3 |
| PHIL 4242 | Medicine, Health Care, and Justice: Bioethics | 3 |
| PHIL 4260 | Why Obey the Law? Introduction to Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PSCI 4494 | Judicial Politics | 3 |
| PSCI 4827 | Women and the Law | 3 |
| PSYC 3505 | Psychology and the Law | 3 |
| SOCY 4700 | Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOCY 4740 | Courts & Society | 3 |
| SSCI 5540 | Law, Diversity and Community in United States History 1 | 3 |
- 1
This course is reserved for advanced undergraduate students with permission from the instructor
Criminology, Law, & Deviance Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 3250 | Violence in Society | 3 |
| CRJU 4190 | Gender and Crime | 3 |
| ECON 3300 | Economics of Crime and Punishment | 3 |
| PSCI 4185 | Corruption in the U.S. and Abroad | 3 |
| PSCI 4807 | Political Violence | 3 |
| PSYC 3612 | Domestic Abuse | 3 |
| SOCY 3490 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOCY 2440 | Deviance and Social Control | 3 |
| SOCY 4340 | Juvenile Delinquency | 3 |
| SOCY 4460 | Hate Groups and Group Violence | 3 |
| SOCY 4590 | Crime, Justice, and the City | 3 |
| SOCY/WGST 4780 | Violence in Relationships | 3 |
Law, Ethics, & Policy Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 4680 | Mass Media Law And Policy | 3 |
| CRJU 4440 | Courts and Social Policy | 3 |
| HDFR 4075 | Family Policy & Law | 3 |
| HIST 4308 | Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | 3 |
| PHIL 3200 | Justice, Freedom, and Power: Social and Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 4260 | Why Obey the Law? Introduction to Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PSCI 3034 | Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy | 3 |
| PSCI 4427 | Law, Politics and Justice | 3 |
Social Justice, Activism, & Law Cluster
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM/HIST 3231 | Famous U.S. Trials | 3 |
| COMM 4040 | Communication, Prisons, and Social Justice | 3 |
| ETST 3704 | Culture, Racism and Alienation | 3 |
| HIST 4308 | Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | 3 |
| PHIL 4450 | Punishment and Social Justice | 3 |
| PSCI 3034 | Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy | 3 |
| PSCI 4427 | Law, Politics and Justice | 3 |
| PSCI 4827 | Women and the Law | 3 |
| PSCI 4837 | Contemporary Issues in Civil Liberties | 3 |